There’s some good news for anyone who’s been waiting breathlessly since the 1941 release of Raoul Walsh’s Manpower for Hollywood to produce another drama about power line technicians: In Life On The Line, John Travolta plays a veteran lineman, which the trailer notes is “the fourth most dangerous occupation in the world.” He only cares about two things in this world—the niece he raised following the death of her father, a fellow lineman, and the safe maintenance of Texas’ electrical grid. Unfortunately, his world is turned upside down when his team’s new hotshot lineman (Devon Sawa) turns out to be the boyfriend of his now-adult niece (Kate Bosworth). And to make matters worse, a huge storm is bearing down on the region, threatening to wreak unimaginable damage upon the local electrical system.
Although the characters in the trailer often seem poised to quote a Bible verse or explain how Jesus was kind of the world’s first lineman, it never actually happens. Director David Hackl (Saw V) appears to be a completely secular filmmaker, and none of the three screenwriters is named Kirk Cameron. Producer Chad Dubea is, however, a former utility service contractor, so that probably accounts for the earnestness on display.
Life On The Line does not yet have a release date.